Win Over Dons For Youths

Rangers 2 Aberdeen 1

Rangers Under 19’s kept up their recent good run of form with a narrow win over Aberdeen at Murray Park this afternoon. With a deserved lead they had to survive a couple of late scares before securing the points.

The opening exchanges failed to produce any clear-cut chances and when the first chance did come after seventeen minutes. Rangers took the lead. Kal Naismith picked the ball up on the halfway line and headed straight for goal, beating two defenders before his shot from just inside the box found the bottom corner. Six minutes later and only the crossbar came between Rangers and a second goal, Dylan McGeough cut in from the left and teed up Kane Hemmings whose’ shot from right on the edge of the area came back of the bar with keeper Przemyslaw Lukasik beaten.

Right on the half-hour mark Aberdeen equalised, Nicky Low started the move in midfield feeding Callum McRobbie on the right and his cross was headed past Gary Inglis by Jordan Brown. Straight from the kick-off Rangers won a free-kick which was quickly taken and Darren Cole played the ball to McGeough who’s 25 yarder looked a goal all the way till Lukasik dived to turn the ball over.

With ten minutes of the half remaining a good passing move ended with Hemmings passing to Christiano Kisuka on the right and his shot flashed across goal. Five minutes later a Rhys McCabe effort from 25 yards had the power but was straight at Lukasik.

Half-Time:- Rangers 1 Aberdeen 1

Lukasik again came to the Dons rescue on 53 minutes, McCabe played the ball up to Hemmings and a superb turn left Joe Shaugnessy for dead with keeper Lukasik parrying the strikers powerful shot. The Rangers striker wasn’t to be denied and when McGeough’s run into the box past a couple of defenders, Kane Hemmings was on hand to score from close range from the midfielder’s pass.

The visitor’s thought they had levelled five minutes later, Cole headed a cross from the left out only as far as McRobbie and Dons midfielder’s shot found the net, but it had deflected of Nico Gibson who was in an offside position. As the game entered the later stages Aberdeen pushed for an equaliser and with six minutes left, the Rangers defence struggled to clear a Stephen O’Neill free-kick from the left and it broke to Shaugnessy inside the six yard box with Gary Inglis diverting his shot from point-blank range over the bar.

The home side then survived another scare three minutes later, Low made space on the right and his cross found Brown unmarked but he sent his header wide with the goal gaping.